After Exploring Hampi , within a span of two weeks I was going to attend a photography tour to bandhavgarh with India’s Number one Wildlife Photographer “Mr Sudhir Shivaram” and My inspiration too. I was really excited as I was going with him and also after a while I was going to visit a tiger reserve.
On 18th of November I reached Bandhavgarh and we were staying at this beautiful resort known as Bandhav Vilas. We checked in our room and Sudhir Sir didn’t arrive yet, as per Swaroop maam he was running a little late so me and my dad went for a stroll around the property with our camera. I had my Nikon D7200 with a 55-300mm lens which is good lens for potraits and wildlife. We saw some Jungle bablers , an Indian Roller and heard calls of an owlet. That day was for resting. After an afternoon nap we were going to have an introductory session with Sudhir Sir. We had in total 3 participants and we all introduced our selves . then we had dinner and lights off!
The next Morning we left for the Safari at 5:30 and I was carrying my 200-500mm lens. Bandhavgarh has three zones Tala, Magadhi, Khitauli. We were having four safaris- two from tala and 2 from magadhi. Our first safari was at tala zone where we weren’t lucky to see a tiger in the morning but we saw some spotted deers, wild boars, monkeys. We also came across a pair of Indian scops owl hiding in a hole of a bark and a Giant Wood Spider. We also visited the Sleeping Vishnu Statue and some caves which were some tourist hotspot in the park. Every zone had a centre point where there were stalls of tea, maggi, merchandise and a restroom.
In afternoon, we learnt about the basics of photography , had lunch and left for our evening safari. This safari was at Magadhi zone and at the enrty I saw Chesnut Bellied Nuthatch and a Tickells Blue Flycatcher. Then inside the park we saw a tree with a mustering of Lesser Adjutant roosting.As we moved on we finally saw the striped beast sleeping far away and we could do only one thing that was to WAIT!After a wait of one hour the tigress named Solo woke up , yawned and crossed the road. It was pretty dark in the evening as it was winter but I managed some pretty decent shots. In the night we had a bonfire with dinner and then back to the room.
Morning safari was at magadhi and as the first rays of the sun fell on the meadows , we saw our second tigress walking on the track who was identified as Dotty as she had a D on her face. She walked for a while, gave us a head turn and disappeared in the dense forest. We tried to track her but we failed though we were the only jeep to have a tiger sighting that morning. Pair of yellow wattled lapwings were our next models. A solitary barking deer was also seen eating.
Our coming back to our resort I felt lucky as when we entered we saw a Jungle Owlet getting troubled by a drongo. after freshing up, we had a game of treasure hunt with 5 clues. I won the treasure hunt and the reward was a Bandhavgarh Jacket!
In our final safari we were going again to Tala and were hoping some sightings. We had jeeps so one jeep went on the hills where Spotty was spotted last going to her new born cubs and the other jeep went towards the grasslands. I was in the first jeep which went on the hill. We saw some Gaurs and monekys but didn’t see Spotty . as soon as we went to the second jeep , we found that spotty crossed the road in front of them and my father got a video from his phone. It happens in wildlife and after all it depends on Luck!
(For The video Checkout My video Section In Portfolio)
In the evening , Swaroop Maam showed us a Presentation and documentary on conservation and then we drew some artwork. We shared our experiences with Sudhir Sir and everyone and then he reviewed our images. We had dinner following a photo session .
In the end my overall experience was simply amazing with lot of learning both theory and practical. It was not only about photography but conservation also. Sudhir Sir had cleared my basics and now it is on my fingertips. He was always there to guide us on field and shared lots of knowledgeable information about the camera and also animal behaviour which will be useful for my future tours in the wild.
- Main attractions :- Bandhavgarh national Park, Sleeping Vishnu Statue( Shesh Saiya),Marble rocks of Bhedaghat , Dhuadar Falls.
- Nearest Airport :- Jabalpur
- Nearest Railway :- Katni
- Places to stay :- Bandhav Vilas , Kings lodge
